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Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule  By  cover art

Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule

By: Jennifer Chiaverini
Narrated by: Christina Moore
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Publisher's summary

In 1844, Missouri belle Julia Dent met dazzling horseman Lieutenant Ulysses S Grant. Four years passed before their parents permitted them to wed, and the groom's abolitionist family refused to attend the ceremony. Since childhood, Julia owned as a slave another Julia, known as Jule. Jule guarded her mistress' closely held twin secrets: She had perilously poor vision but was gifted with prophetic sight. So it was that Jule became Julia's eyes to the world. And what a world it was, marked by gathering clouds of war.

The Grants vowed never to be separated, but as Ulysses rose through the ranks - becoming general in chief of the Union Army - so did the stakes of their pact. During the war, Julia would travel, often in the company of Jule and the four Grant children, facing unreliable transportation and certain danger to be at her husband's side. Yet Julia and Jule saw two different wars. While Julia spoke out for women - Union and Confederate - she continued to hold Jule as a slave behind Union lines. Upon the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, Jule claimed her freedom and rose to prominence as a businesswoman in her own right, taking the honorary title Madame. The two women's paths continued to cross throughout the Grants' White House years in Washington, DC, and later in New York City, the site of Grant’s Tomb.

©2015 Jennifer Chiaverini (P)2015 Recorded Books

What listeners say about Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule

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Stellar

A historical fiction by one of my favorite authors, this book was one of the best books I've ever read. It was not only a tender story of General and Mrs. Grant's love and affection for each other, but a biography of their lives and a description of the times. Madame Jule was Julia Dent's maid from childhood, a slave belonging to her father, meaning Julia couldn't free her...but did she ever ask her father to free Jule? Ask to buy her so she could free her herself? Julia Dent went on to marry Ulysses S. Grant, an abolitionist, who went on to be one of the people without whom we might lost the Civil War, as well as a 2-term President of the United States. You can see why neither sets of their parents approved their union. Nevertheless, their love flourished and endured. Julia wasn't perfect, but she loved the man she called "Uliss".

No spoilers here, so I will not dwell upon Jule except to say she very much wanted her freedom and so did her husband, from whom she got separated because of the damnable institution of slavery.

I love Civil War era novels. They fill in my memory lapses of what I've learned about that terrible period of our nation's history. I highly recommend this book. 5 stars out of 5!

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent

This book was published March 3, 2015. The book follows the lives of two girls: Julia Dent and her slave Jule. As children they were best of friends and were always together. As they grew older the line between master and slave grew.

Julia married Ulysses Grant and despite his loyalty to the Union their marriage succeeded. Ulysses quickly rose in the ranks and Julia traveled with him from post to post. While the Civil war raged, Jule was battling her loyalty to Julia and her desire to be free. Julia Grant found it difficult to write, read and sew because she was cross-eyed. Chiaverini demonstrated repeatedly in the story how much difficulty Julia had with her vision problems and myopia.

The author paints a dramatic picture of the Civil War, from the assassination of Lincoln to Grant’s presidency as we follow the lives of Julia and Jule. Jule is able to read and is a gifted hairdresser. She is determined to make her own mark on society. I just finished read the book “First Lady of the Confederacy” by Joan E. Cashin about Varnia Howell Davis. Both books tell about the post Civil War friendship between Julia Grant and Varnia Davis and their work to bring the country together after the War. Julia Grant with the help of her son General Frederick Dent Grant arranged the military funeral in New York for Varnia Davis.

This book provides an inside look at the wife of Ulysses Grant and reveals her life as First Lady. Julia Grant apparently enjoyed being first lady. This is a well written and fascinating book about the life of Julia Dent Grant. Christina Moore narrated the book.

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15 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

slight disappointment

I liked it, but toward the end, it started falling apart. I was very disappointed in the ending. There was no resolution between Julia and Jule

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7 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Average.

Historical fiction lite...
not bad, but certainly not what I initially hoped for. Simplistic. As with Lincoln’s Dressmaker, I lost interest in her one dimensional characters long before the book ended. The history itself is way more compelling and complex than this author’s imagination and insight.

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5 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Skips emotion for history.

I generally enjoyed the book but I felt like the author skimmed too fast. I don't feel like I got deeply invested in the story at any one place because it jumps forward in time before the reader can invest. It was fiction but many areas of the narrative sounded like spitting back historical facts. While that's necessary with novels like this, it seemed like the history and fiction didn't blend as well as I would have liked.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Narrator

I enjoyed the book very much & loved the history of the Civil War. My only complaint is that the narrator mispronounced the city of Cairo in Illinois. It was annoying.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful book!

I have yet to be disappointed with one of Jennifer Chiaverini's books and I have read almost all of them. Just a few more and I will have finished them all. I also can't say enough about Christina Moore's narration of these books as well as others. She does an excellent job.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointed with how the story line was presented

Would you be willing to try another book from Jennifer Chiaverini? Why or why not?

Probably not now. I used to love reading all of the books in the quilting series. They each were written very well and were easy to follow along with the story. I feel the new style of writing makes the story hard to follow. I'm reading for enjoyment. It shouldn't be an effort to read a book.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

Any additional comments?

Jennifer ... please go back to your old style of writing.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Two Stories, Two Woman, Two Destines

If you could sum up Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule in three words, what would they be?

Desperation, Denial and Deliverance

If you’ve listened to books by Jennifer Chiaverini before, how does this one compare?

This book gave a more historical timeline, The focus leaned heavy on Mrs. Grant and her narrative and less on Madame Jule. I felt that the author relegated Madame Jule's story as a accent to the more important Mr. and Mrs. Grant, after all she was just the slave.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene When Madame Jule, informs Mrs. Grant that she no longer wish to be her slave, and their relationship ends right there.

Who was the most memorable character of Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule and why?

Ulysses S. Grant is the most memorable character, because he was the one making history. The pecking order of the time Ulysses S.Grant, Mrs. Grant, and Madame Jule. The book most definitely reflected the male superiority of the era, and woman's complacent acceptance of that fact.

Any additional comments?

Good book, I learned a lot.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Mrs. Grant and Madame Jude

This was an excellent book in every way. I highly recommend it to everyone .

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2 people found this helpful